


washing dishes

by sunandmoongobrrr



Series: Ember Island Drabbles [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Drabble, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Post-Episode: s03e16 The Southern Raiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29605809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunandmoongobrrr/pseuds/sunandmoongobrrr
Summary: The first part in a drabble collection, set in the time between Southern Raiders and the Finale on Ember Island!
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Ember Island Drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175117
Kudos: 25





	washing dishes

She’s washing dishes from dinner in the dark kitchen, lit only by a lantern she’s brought in from her room, when he walks in.

“Hi,” he says. She looks up briefly to see his shadow in the doorway, and smiles softly.

“Hey,” she returns. He comes in cautiously. Katara knows he’s been walking on eggshells since she’s forgiven him. Doesn’t want to overstep boundaries, which haven’t exactly been established yet.

“Do you-” he hesitates. “Do you want help?” Katara looks up. She’s been bending soapy water around the plates, so she’s unsure how he could help.

“I could… dry them,” he offers. 

She shrugs. “Sure.”

Zuko grabs a rag, and starts drying the stack of plates she’s left. They let an uncomfortable silence surround them, interrupted only by the sounds of clinking dishes.

“It’s nice of you,” Katara finally says.

“Hmm?” he looks up, his eyebrows raised in expectation.

“To help me wash the dishes,” she says quickly. “Thanks.”

“Oh, yeah, no problem.”

Another round of silence. This time, she can’t stand it for more than a few moments.

“Are we just going to do this completely silently?” she says finally. Zuko laughs, a sound she has never heard before. The thought makes her smile.

“What is there to talk about?” he asks.

“How was your day?”

He runs her through it, going over every little detail--every step, every blink--in an effort to make her laugh. It works. When all the pots are cleaned, she leans against the counter to watch him finish drying.

“And Aang and I trained, and I corrected him on a form for a certain kick. He almost set the roof on fire. And then you called us for dinner, and you know the rest.” He finishes up one last dish, placing it in the cupboard, and turns to face her. She can’t tell if it’s the flickering candlelight that makes his face look so changed. His gaze is piercing, and she turns back to look at the basin of soapy water so he can’t see her face flush.

“Are you training tomorrow morning?” she asks. He confirms. “I’ll see you then, for damage control.” She dries her hand on a rag, and turns for the door.

“We won’t need it,” he promises. She keeps her back turned.

“I’m still coming!”


End file.
